Transferring support of Milwaukee County Transit System from the property tax levy to a one half percent sales tax, saving homeowners thirteen million dollars a year, has been introduced in the state assembly as Assembly Bill 723. A direct response to Milwaukee County voters' request to the state, by referendum in November 2008 – which was temporarily derailed by Governor Doyle's ill-considered veto during the state budget process last year – the bill was introduced by Representatives Barca, Grigsby, Turner, Sinicki, Zepnick, Kessler, Toles, Young, Pasch and Fields. It is cosponsored by Senators Taylor, Lehman, Plale and Coggs, sponsors of the previously introduced SB 511.
The assembly's Committee on Transportation has received the bill, but action requires that the committee put a priority on scheduling a committee hearing as soon as possible. This is up to Assembly Speaker Mike Sheridan, who can be reached by concerned voters at 888-947-0044, and Transportation committee chair John Steinbrink, who can be reached at (262) 694-5863, or (608) 266-0455. To date, no Republican members of either the senate or the assembly have lined up to cosponsor either bill. Inaction by Republicans may relinquish to Democrats full credit for the property tax relief the bill offers, as well as support of a critical need identified by job-producing businesses in southeastern Wisconsin. As these have traditionally been areas of Republican concern, some votes may be forthcoming in the next month.
Both SB 511 and AB 723 would amend existing law authorizing the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Transit Agency (SERTA), allowing Milwaukee County to form an Interim Regional Transit Agency funded by up to a one half cent sales tax, provided that the county cease allocating property tax revenues to support of the bus system. Funding would come in part from people who make use of the commercial and cultural resources of Milwaukee County, not solely from county property owners. Neighboring counties could form IRTA's whenever voters wished, and could adopt funding from a sales tax or other sources, if voters approved by referendum.
Passage of these bills might also ease concern by Milwaukee County cities that the costs of the Emergency Medical Technician services could soon be passed along to municipalities, due to general county budget difficulties. What Milwaukee voters asked the state for was a package deal, providing funding from a one percent sales tax increase to pay for transit, parks, and EMT. Legislators have declined to accept this request as a package, and sorting out 0.15 percent for EMT would be difficult. However, with thirteen million dollars of property tax relief, the county will have some running room to continue funding EMT. It will have even more flexibility, while still permanently lowering property tax bills, if the legislature also approves Assembly Bill 504, introduced by Representative Tamara Grigsby, to authorize funding parks from a sales tax rather than from the property tax levy.
For reasons best known to himself, but probably reflecting his long-standing hostility to all forms of public transit, and past proposals to sell off the parks to private developers, Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker continues to oppose all of these measures, despite the substantial property tax relief each would provide, while allowing for expansion of safe, convenient bus service to neighborhoods which have been deprived of access during the past eight years. Paratransit service for Milwaukee County residents with disabilities also depends upon sustainable revenue for fixed route service; if MCTS has to shut down, there will be no mandate for paratransit in the Americans with Disabilities Act.
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